by Lisa Dyson
Allie’s heart nearly broke. She reached across the table and put a hand on her mother’s shoulder. “Please don’t be upset, Mom. I love you and Dad very much. You’ll always be my parents. I just need to understand where I came from.”
Her mother’s eyes were filled with tears when she raised her head. “Can’t your father and I be enough?” Her voice cracked.
“You don’t understand. You are more than enough. I don’t want to get to know the strangers who gave me life. Until last week at Scott’s wedding, I didn’t even care who they were.”
“Then why?” Mom brushed at the tears on her cheeks.
“Last week at the wedding, I met someone who looks exactly like me.”
“Really?” Mom’s eyes widened.
“Yes, her name is Charlotte Harrington and she lives in Newport. In fact, she lives across the street from Jack. He brought her to the wedding.”
“So he’s dating this Charlotte?”
“No, no. They’re just friends. She lost her adoptive mother to cancer not too long ago, and Jack was trying to get her out of the house and out of her funk.”
“I see. So you’ve talked to this Charlotte? Compared notes? You said she was adopted, too?”
“Yes. We have the same birth date, but we were born in different states. She was born in New York.” Allie stopped to breathe and continued. “She recently began searching for her birth parents, and now I am, too. We’ve even ordered a DNA test to see if we’re related. We’re thinking cousins because of the different state thing.” She took her mother’s hand again, cupping it in both of hers. “Charlotte’s mother never married, so she has no one left to answer her questions about her adoption. And like me, she has no information. But we have you. Please, Mom. Please help us.”
Mom’s tears flowed freely then and Allie, who never cried, felt her own eyes fill to overflowing. Mom brushed her tears away with both hands, and Allie retrieved the box of tissues in the powder room for herself.
“I’m sorry, Allison. I should have been honest with you. I was so ashamed of what we did, and I never wanted you to think poorly of us, especially me. Your father only went along with it to make me happy.”
What could her mother be ashamed about? Was this the answer she and Charlotte were looking for?
“Start at the beginning, Mom.” She took her mother’s hand again. “No judgment here. I promise.”
Mom swallowed and began talking, her focus on her hands and not Allie. “You know about our first child, your brother Grant, and how he died.”
Allie nodded, but her mother wasn’t looking at her, still concentrating on her hands.
“After that, we were so afraid to have another child with the same medical problem. I even had my tubes tied so I wouldn’t be tempted to gamble on the chance that we’d conceive a healthy child.” She paused. “When your dad and I were far enough along in the grieving process to consider adoption, we found it very difficult. I was determined to adopt a newborn. I didn’t care about race. I only wanted a baby in my arms again. But they were few and far between. Waiting lists took years and we couldn’t—I couldn’t—wait that long.”
Though her mother had fed her lies about her adoption the other day, Allie was certain she was about to hear the truth.
“And then one day, a miracle happened.” Mom looked at Allie, her face blotchy from crying. “There was an ad in the newspaper. A lawyer who brokered private, legal adoptions of newborns. We didn’t have the internet back then, so there was no way to search for adoption lawyers outside of our local area phone book. Your dad was suspicious, but I saw this as our road to happiness.”
Allie rose to get two glasses of water. Her mouth was parched. She placed one in front of her mother.
“Thank you.” Mom drank half the glass at once. She took a few breaths and continued. “We met with this lawyer, and he assured us he could get us a baby. A newborn.” She looked at her hands clasped tightly. “There was only one thing we had to do.”
Allie held her breath. “What was that?”
“This is the reason I never told you the whole story.”
“It can’t be that bad, Mom. What is it?”
“He wanted money.” Her mother could barely speak. “On top of the medical expenses, he charged a lot more money.”
“He was basically extorting money from you in exchange for an infant?”
Mom nodded. “I was so ashamed. I never wanted you to know we paid for you like that.” She spoke faster, as if trying to get all her thoughts out at once. “It’s why we adopted your brothers and sisters. We wanted to make up for what we’d done by adopting older children and medically challenged children who might never have a chance for a family.”
“You had nothing to make up for, Mom. You’ve been wonderful parents, and that’s worth all the money in the world.”
“But we did something illegal to get you.” She whispered, “We paid for you as if you were a new car.”
“And if you hadn’t, then someone else would have.” Allie was well aware that these transactions happened all the time. A thought came to her. “How much money did you pay him?”
“That’s not important,” Mom said quickly.
“Actually, it is. Was it thirty thousand dollars?”
Mom’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”
“An educated guess,” Allie said. “Charlotte has been trying to figure out where thirty thousand dollars came from in her mom’s checking account. She wrote a check to Cash for the same amount right after Charlotte was born.”
“That’s a huge coincidence,” her mom conceded. “Our check was written to Cash also.”
“I think it’s more than a coincidence.” Allie moved on to a different question. “Do you have my original birth certificate? The one I have has you and dad as my parents. There’s no information about my birth parents.”
Mom shook her head. “That’s the only one we ever received once your adoption was finalized.”
“Is the lawyer still around?” He might be able to help locate her birth parents. He might even have her original birth certificate in his files.
“I haven’t seen or heard from the lawyer since he sent us the legal paperwork. I didn’t want to have anything more to do with him. He was a reminder of what we’d done.” Mom wiped her nose with her balled-up tissue. “I wanted to focus on you. My sweet baby girl.”
“You told me I was born in Rhode Island. Is that true?”
“Rhode Island is right as far as I know,” Mom said. “We traveled there to pick you up because that’s where the lawyer was located.”
She had to push just a little bit more. “Do you know anything about my birth parents? Even their names would help.”
Mom looked defeated. “I’m so sorry. I should have gotten that information, but to be honest, I didn’t care. And I guess I always hoped you wouldn’t care, either.”
“I told you, Mom, I don’t care about those people. At least not for me. Charlotte is the one without family. Wouldn’t it be great if she and I were somehow related? Then she could share this huge family you and Dad gave me.”
Mom perked up at Allie’s words. “That would be nice, wouldn’t it? Although we could include her either way. Tell me more about her.”
While Allie listed the things they had in common, her dad came into the kitchen. “Someone forget about this toast?”
Mom ignored his question. “Bart, you’ve got to hear about this woman Allie met at the wedding last week. She says they look so much alike they could be twins.”
Her dad finished pouring a cup of coffee and turned to them, his expression serious. “That’s amazing, but certainly impossible. We’d know if you had a twin.”
“Dad, do you remember the name of the lawyer who handled my adoption?”
Before he could answer, her mom said, “I’ll go find the file. I’m sure it must have his name, but I don’t know how much more information you’ll find in it.”
While her mom did th
at, Allie filled her dad in on everything she knew about Charlotte. “She lives across the street from Jack. He’s the one who brought her to the wedding.” When her dad’s eyebrows shot up, she added, “As a friend, Dad. He was trying to cheer her up. She’s had a difficult time since her mother died.”
“Ah.” He nodded and drank his coffee. “I’m surprised your mother told you about your adoption.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because she’s always felt guilty about it.”
“I think we’ve gone past that. Mom and I had a good talk.”
“I’m glad to hear it. It’s good to have it out in the open.”
Jack came into the kitchen then. “Am I interrupting?”
“No.” Allie had been about to confess to her dad that she and Jack weren’t a couple, but she didn’t want to put Jack in an uncomfortable position. She or her mom could fill Dad in later. “Mom went to get my adoption file. We’re hoping at least to find out the name of the lawyer who handled the adoption.”
“That’s great news.” Jack poured a cup of coffee, then set it and his phone on the counter. “I’ll go pack the car while my coffee cools.”
Allie got up to pour her own cup of coffee and heard Jack’s phone vibrate. They’d been careful not to discuss business all weekend, but now that she’d gotten some answers about her adoption, her thoughts turned to the animal-food account. Could the text be about that?
Her dad was reading the newspaper at the kitchen table, so she casually picked up Jack’s phone. She only wanted to know if an advertising firm had been chosen, one way or the other. The beginning of a text message could be seen on his screen.
Confidential: City of Fairleigh, CT, wants ad campaign.
She put the phone back next to Jack’s coffee exactly as he’d left it.
A campaign for Fairleigh. Her excitement grew until she was ready to burst. The beach town had been devastated by a hurricane two years ago. It must still be having trouble attracting the normal influx of tourists.
Now that she had this inside information, she could do her own research and presentation. Getting the animal-food account, as well as the town’s account, would ensure that she could stay in business.
And Jack would have no idea that she’d discovered the information from his phone. It was just a lucky break. No harm done.
* * *
ON THE DRIVE back to Providence, Allie filled Jack in on all she’d learned from her parents. He wasn’t surprised to hear her parents had been keeping the secret about paying the lawyer an exorbitant amount of money to broker the adoption.
“I wonder if he’s still practicing law,” Jack said aloud. “You’d think a guy like that would have screwed up along the way and at least lost his license.”
“That’s what I was thinking, too.” Allie had the folder her mother had given her on her lap. “This letterhead says his office is in Cranston.”
“That’s about fifteen minutes from your apartment. Want to drive by the address before I drop you off?”
“I’d love to, but it’s out of your way.” Allie shut the folder and set it on the floor by her feet. “I can do it later.”
“It’s only a few minutes longer. Besides, I have a stake in this now. If I hadn’t brought Charlotte to the wedding last week, you two never would have met.”
“You’re right about that,” Allie conceded. “And I never would have bothered with this adoption stuff.” She looked at him. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, I’d love to go by this guy’s office. I’m sure there’s no one there on a Sunday, but if there’s a shingle with his name on it, then I can contact him this week.”
Jack had a thought. “Did your parents mention how much they paid him?”
“That’s the exciting part—thirty thousand. The same amount Charlotte found in her mom’s checking account.” She turned her body in his direction.
He glanced at her. “That’s great!”
“Could it really be possible that she and I might be that connected? Isn’t it more like an impossible coincidence?”
“No, it isn’t. This lawyer could have brokered both adoptions. That is, if Charlotte’s mom’s thirty thousand was used for that purpose.”
Jack’s phone vibrated in the console.
“Want me to check that for you?” she asked.
“Nah. Just a text, probably nothing. I’ll check it later.” If it was about his grandfather, they would have called rather than texting. The message was probably from his colleague, Stan. Ideally he had more information about the campaign the town of Fairleigh had in mind. Stan had found out about it accidentally through his niece, who worked at Fairleigh’s town hall. Getting the early heads-up that they were looking for a new ad campaign was extremely valuable.
Allie’s cell phone rang, and she answered. “Hello.”
Jack looked over at her. She was listening closely, her expression tense. She was obviously not pleased with what she was hearing.
“Thank you for the opportunity,” she said stiffly. “I hope you’ll think of me for your future needs.” She disconnected and stared out the side window for a few minutes.
He didn’t want to interrupt her. She’d obviously gotten bad news.
His phone rang.
She didn’t even turn toward him as she spoke. “That’s probably about the Naturally Healthy Animal Food account. I didn’t get it, so she’s probably calling to say you did.”
Normally he would have used Bluetooth to answer hands-free, but he didn’t want to subject Allie to his conversation. They’d been in Massachusetts for about fifteen minutes, where texting while driving was banned, but cell phone use wasn’t.
“Jack Fletcher.”
“Hello, Jack. This is Monica Everly from Naturally Healthy Animal Food.”
“How are you?” He held his breath. This could be the break Empire Advertising needed to make a comeback.
“I’m pleased to tell you that we’ve chosen you to do our advertising.”
Internally he was jumping up and down like a ten-year-old, but outwardly he maintained his cool. His company desperately needed the client, but he knew Allie’s did, too.
“That’s wonderful, Ms. Everly. Thank you so much for letting me know. You won’t be disappointed. I’ll be in touch first thing in the morning to go over details.” He disconnected. Between this account and the one Stan had just found out about, Empire should be okay. At least for this quarter.
What a pleasant shock it had been, getting the text from Stan earlier today saying the town of Fairleigh, Connecticut, wanted Empire to put together some advertising for them. After being devastated by the hurricane two years ago, the town’s tourism hadn’t yet recovered, and they didn’t have time to put a bid out for the work. Empire seemed to have the account free and clear.
Jack glanced at Allie, who was watching him.
“Congratulations,” she said without much enthusiasm.
“Thanks. I’m really sorry it worked out this way. Not that Empire doesn’t deserve it, but you did a great job, too.”
“You needed the client as much as I did.” Her tone was matter-of-fact.
“I meant hearing it this way.”
“Oh.” She went back to staring out her window. “It’s fine.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“Why should I be mad?” She sounded mad.
“Because you needed the account, too.” He racked his brain, trying to come up with something to soothe her ego. “Listen, there will be other accounts. This just wasn’t the one.” He paused. “You know, there is a good side to this.”
“What?” Her interest wasn’t overwhelming.
“We’re no longer competitors. We don’t have to be so concerned about talking business.”
“I guess.”
Well, he definitely saw that aspect as a positive. Plus, he wasn’t up to competing against someone who used the somewhat underhanded tactics Allie preferred.
“Maybe you should take me straight home,�
�� she said.
He turned in her direction and then back to the road. “Why? Because I got the account and you didn’t?”
She shrugged. “I just don’t feel like going to Cranston right now.”
He assumed she meant she didn’t want to go with him.
At least he wouldn’t be up against Allie for the Fairleigh account. Having this competition for business between them was a barrier he could live without.
* * *
ALLIE WAS IN a bad mood. She couldn’t help it. How could she be excited about Jack getting the account when she needed it so desperately?
Thankfully they were almost at her apartment building. She and Jack hadn’t spoken for the past half hour.
Her cell phone rang. She went digging in her purse, not recognizing the number once she retrieved it.
“Hello?”
“Allie Miller?”
“Yes.” She spoke quietly.
“This is Joan Broadwell from the Rescue League. We have someone interested in Harvey. They’d like to take him home to see if he and their other dog get along.” Joan gave her specific details.
“Tomorrow evening at six is fine, Joan. I’ll see you then.” She ended the call and stared at her phone.
“Is everything okay?”
She looked at Jack. “That was Joan Broadwell from the Rescue League.” She paused. “They have someone interested in adopting Harvey. She’s picking him up from me tomorrow night to see if he’ll work out with their other dog, and then they’ll adopt him.”
“Just like that?”
“Uh-huh.” She’d had Harvey for only a week. She hadn’t expected to feel anything at the thought of giving him back. That had been the plan all along. He hadn’t even helped her get the animal-food account.
But she did feel something...
She didn’t say anything until they reached her apartment building a few minutes later. “Thanks for everything.” She reached for the door handle without looking at him. What a miserable ride home. First she’d lost the account, and now she was about to lose Harvey.